Stay
by flooj9235
Summary: Before the second Battle of Hoover Dam, the courier returns to the Lucky 38 for a last night of relaxation and peace before the war. Her reasons aren't strictly for relaxation, though; she has a desperate question for the scribe that's waiting in the suite. Fluffy oneshot. F!Courier/Veronica. Femslash.


"Veronica?"

The scribe perked up at the sound of the courier's voice, tossing her book aside. She tugged her hood on, bounding out of her room to go meet her companion. "Hey! You're back!"

Rachel looked relieved to see Veronica, dropping her things to the floor and opening her arms for the scribe's preferred greeting. She was nearly knocked off her feet a second later from Veronica's excited hug. "I wasn't sure you'd be here," the courier admitted quietly, giving the scribe an affectionate squeeze.

Veronica scoffed. "Where else would I be?" She gave the courier a gentle punch on the shoulder, grinning widely.

Rachel shrugged, looking like she had a million things on her mind and no idea where to start. "Back at the 188? You could've gotten bored of waiting on me and left."

"What, and give up the supply of Nuka Cola Mr. House had? Surely you jest." Veronica grinned at her companion. "You look beat. Want anything to eat?"

The courier seemed to consider it, shrugging again. "First I want a bath. Then if you want, we can go over to the Tops for dinner. I'm kind of in the mood for something warm and satisfying."

"I'll pretend that wasn't a crack at my cooking skills," the scribe teased, noticeably excited at the prospect.

Rachel tugged the hood down over Veronica's face playfully, heading off to bathe.

Veronica grinned, glad to have the courier back; the suite got lonely more quickly than she'd like to admit. She heard the door close and water start running, walking back to her room and throwing herself onto the couch there. Veronica pulled her hood back off, comfortable to do so since she was alone again, and ran a hand through her hair. The scribe delved back into her book, knee bouncing impatiently.

She lost herself in the story on the pages soon after, and was blissfully unaware of the clean courier sneaking up behind her. Only when Rachel dripped some water down the back of her neck did she shriek and jump away.

Rachel laughed heartily, a devious twinkle in her eyes. "Sorry, I just couldn't resist."

Veronica stuck her tongue out at the courier, pouting a little and scrambling for her hood.

Rachel's face fell and she reached over to stop the scribe. "Aw, c'mon. I don't know why you're so shy about that hood."

Veronica tugged it on anyway, giving the courier an incredulous, yet playful look. "I thought we'd been over this."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I like your hair. It looks good on you."

"As opposed to off of me?" Veronica returned, feeling her ears heat up with a blush at the compliment.

The courier groaned, shaking her head at the scribe's response. "I like you better sans hood, how's that?"

Veronica had no good comeback, so she just sat there and picked at her nails.

"Still want dinner?" Rachel asked, walking back out of the scribe's room to find something nice to wear.

Glad for the subject change, Veronica got to her feet and stretched. "Of course. Did you forget who you were talking to?"

Rachel laughed from inside her room. "Sorry, I tend to forget you could out-eat a bighorner."

Veronica grinned proudly, watching as Rachel walked back out of her room, toweling off her hair.

"So are you hungry now, or would you like to wait a little?" Rachel asked, putting the towel in the laundry chute and turning to look at her friend.

The scribe shrugged. "I'm good for whenever. Sure, I may wither away and starve," she added, staggering around dramatically, "but whatever you'd like to do."

Rachel watched Veronica's antics for a moment, smiling and shaking her head. "You're right, you _should_ have been an actress."

Veronica straightened and beamed at her friend. "I can see it now, my name in bright lights across the Strip. 'Veronica Santangelo starring in The Courier Who Stole The Chip'."

"Hey! I didn't steal anything!" Rachel couldn't hide her amusement, and an affectionate smile grew on her face. "I missed you, V," she admitted quietly, grabbing the scribe up in another quick hug. Before the scribe could respond, the courier's stomach rumbled.

Rachel flushed with embarrassment, chuckling along with Veronica.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that's ready to eat," the scribe teased.

"Okay, fine, let's get dressed so we can go eat." Rachel gave Veronica a smile and they split up to change. The courier knew Veronica had been waiting on the opportunity to wear her dress, and she'd found herself a nice little dress the last time she'd been out scavving for ammo.

In her room, Veronica quickly shed the brown tunic she'd been wearing, reaching immediately for the dress Rachel had given her months before. She'd worn it around the suite when she was alone, enjoying the exhilaration she felt at wearing the beautiful gown, and the idea of wearing it out on the town gave her a thrill. Veronica pulled the silky fabric over her head carefully, letting it flow down over her like water. She twirled a little, grinning up at her reflection in the mirror on her wall. Without thinking about it, she reached for her hood and pulled it on, studying the look. Veronica snorted to herself; as much as she appreciated it hiding her hair, it didn't go with the dress at all.

She went rummaging around for a little hat, but found nothing. The scribe sighed, glancing up at her reflection again and frowning slightly. She tried to comb her hair with her fingers, but it stayed as unruly as ever, sticking up in spots and curling slightly near her temples. "Your hair looks great," she mimicked sarcastically, resigning herself to having annoying hair for the rest of her days.

The scribe went over to her adjoining bathroom and wet her hands, smoothing down the more obvious bumps and curls. She still wasn't satisfied with her appearance, but she could hear Rachel moving around in the common room. Veronica sighed and headed out of her room, tugging at her earlobe self consciously.

Rachel was staring out of the suite's large window, watching the people milling around. Veronica cleared her throat quietly, getting the courier's attention. Veronica's gaze dropped to the floor and she bit her lip, awaiting surprised laughter disguised as a cough.

"Wow," Rachel said reverently just as Veronica decided to go find her hood again.

The scribe risked a glance up at the courier, opting to wait and see the reaction before retreating for her hood. "Good wow or bad wow?"

Rachel didn't answer for a second, still studying Veronica quietly. "What? Oh! Good, definitely." She looked flustered, offering the scribe a grin as she scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Told you you'd look great," she teased weakly, hiding a smirk at the scribe's blush.

"You're wearing a dress," Veronica noticed, surprise evident in her voice as she was distracted from her own appearance by the observation.

Rachel looked down at herself. "Yeah. Is it okay? I mean, I can change..."

Veronica shook her head. "No, it's fine. It looks nice." She offered the courier a smile. "I just had you pegged as a shirt and pants person."

The courier shrugged slightly. "Depends how I feel that day." She extended her arm to the scribe, grinning. "Shall we?"

The pair took the elevator down the tower and walked out onto the Strip. The street was already bustling with nightlife and the chatter and laughter of people having a good time filled their ears. A few whistles were aimed their way, but Rachel just tugged Veronica onward, knowing the scribe would start punching if she felt threatened.

They made it into the Tops and into the restaurant, sitting down and ordering while someone on stage began crooning a slow song.

"So what kind of trouble did you get yourself into while I was gone?" There was a cheeky grin on Rachel's face to accompany the question.

Veronica began counting on her fingers, pausing to shake her head dramatically. "Nothing Yes Man couldn't get me out of," she answered sweetly, dropping the act. "Just caught up on some reading and went to help Michael Angelo out a few times. He's pretty good at what he does, even without Brotherhood training."

Rachel glanced around at the mention of the Brotherhood, relieved to see that no one had overheard. The Strip had many friends in the NCR, and pissing them off with war on the horizon wasn't high on her priority list.

"What about you? Where'd you sneak off to that was so boring I couldn't come along?"

Rachel chuckled, her face going slightly more serious a second later. When she spoke, her voice was quieter. "I was at the dam, meeting President Kimball."

Veronica's eyes bugged. "Wow, really? Did you get me an autograph?"

The courier snorted. "I was a little busy fending off assassins, sorry."

Their food came before Veronica could ask anything else, and they dug in. A few minutes were spent in relative silence, the only noises the clinking of their silverware.

"Okay, you have **got**to tell me all about that," Veronica insisted after a few mouthfuls, giving Rachel her best puppy dog eyes as she cut off another piece of her brahmin steak.

Rachel chuckled. "I wondered how long it'd take you to ask." She dove into the story in a low voice, telling of the Legion's infiltration, and scaling a tower to take out a sniper. The story ended with Rachel recounting the evacuation of the president and watching his vertibird fly west.

Veronica had finished her meal and was gawking at the courier. "That's... wow."

"It was intense, for sure," Rachel admitted, looking up as the act on stage changed.

"How come I never get to have any fun?" Veronica teased, following Rachel's gaze as an old swing tune started playing.

Rachel shot the scribe a daring look. "Okay, you want fun? C'mon." She offered Veronica her hand and pulled the scribe to her feet, following a rush of other people toward the stage.

"I thought you didn't dance," the scribe laughed, entering the fray behind her friend.

Rachel grinned. "I don't. But far be it from me to deny you a little fun."

They joined the crowd, dancing around and letting loose for the first time in what felt like years. A few different songs played, and after one song, a Chairman wandered over, giving Veronica a coy grin.

"Hey, babydoll. Care for a dance?" He offered her his hand. "A beautiful gal like you teamed up with me... Man, we'd be the talk of the town."

Veronica smiled politely, shaking her head. "Sorry, but a handshake is as far as you get with me until you turn into a leggy brunette."

"That so?" His grin became a leer. "In that case, we could head over to Gomorrah, grab a girl, and all have a real-"

"Excuse me," Rachel cut in with a syrupy smile, giving the scribe a pointed glance. "Veronica, did you forget we have an early morning tomorrow? We better go."

A confused frown passed over Veronica's face, but she nodded agreeably. "Whoops, yeah, slipped my mind. Sorry," she added to the Chairman as Rachel steered her toward the door. The courier paid for their meals quickly, and they left the restaurant.

Veronica gave the courier a strange look, waiting to mention it until they were back on the Strip. "What was that all about?"

Rachel looked disgusted. "He was trying to turn you into his whore for the night."

"I can take care of myself," Veronica reminded the courier. "I don't have to have a power fist on to be good at punching things."

"That would have gotten us kicked out." The courier's point was valid, and Veronica had no argument. "Besides, I didn't like the way he was looking at you," Rachel muttered.

They walked back to the Lucky 38 in uncertain silence, and Rachel finally broke the silence on the elevator. "Sorry, you're right. You can handle yourself. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have stepped in." She bit her lip and looked away, seeming to be lost in thought once again.

"What's going on with you, anyway?" Veronica asked, trying to sound caring and not irritated. "You keep acting like something's really bothering you." She waited for response, but Rachel couldn't seem to figure out how to answer.

The elevator rumbled and came to a stop, the doors sliding open and dinging softly. They got off and stepped into the suite's common room, the silence between them loaded.

Rachel sighed, giving the scribe an unreadable look before heading over to the suite's window and looking down at the Strip.

"What's going on?" Veronica asked slowly, her danger senses tingling. Something about the courier's behavior filled her with dread, and she didn't like it at all.

The courier sighed again, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's just... Hoover Dam... There's war coming, Veronica. Soon. In fact, I'm leaving in the morning to go meet it head on."

Veronica frowned uneasily and stepped up beside her friend, studying the courier's face carefully. "So we'll go punch in a few Legion heads and win the dam," she offered, trying to ease Rachel's mind. Her words had the opposite effect, and Rachel groaned, turning away and rubbing a hand over her face.

"No, Veronica, that's it. That's... That's the problem. I... We can't." She gave the confused scribe a pleading look. "Not together. Please." The last word came out in a terrified whisper.

Veronica was hurt. After all their travels together, the courier was finally kicking her to the curb. She should have seen it coming; the past few journeys, the courier had gone alone, making the excuse that it "wouldn't take long" or that Veronica "needed a break now and then." She knew she should feel upset, but all she was was numb. "That's it?" she asked finally. "That's how you want to say that?"

Rachel nodded. "It's hard for me to do, because I know how you're going to react, but I just... I can't..."

Veronica frowned. "Then I guess I'll be leaving, too. It's been fun," she added, a little bit of hurt creeping into her voice as she turned away to go pack her things.

Rachel made a noise of confusion. "What? Veronica, wait!" She caught the scribe's arm, her hands trembling. "What are you talking about?"

Veronica huffed, yanking her arm out of the courier's grasp. "You don't want me with you, that's obvious. I'm trying to go peacefully."

"Go where?" the courier pressed, not making any motion to stop her friend.

The scribe paused, giving the courier a bemused glance. "Isn't that what you're saying? 'Goodbye, Veronica, get outta here.'" She cringed at the harshness of the salutation. "Why does everyone always say that?"

"Goodbye?" the courier repeated, shaking her head almost frantically. "No no no, Veronica, that's not it." She let out a hollow little laugh, trying her best to smile at the scribe. "I want you to stay."

Veronica relaxed a little, surprised at how tense she'd gotten. "Oh."

Rachel turned away again, her posture still worried. "I just..." She sighed. "The battle. When it happens, I want you to stay here."

"Hey! What? I don't think so," Veronica retorted, stepping toward her friend. "You don't get to drag me all over the Mojave, getting me all prepared to fight the Legion, and then tell me I can't come help. I've been polishing my power fist and everything!" She snorted at herself, giving the courier an irritated look. "Okay, that's not entirely true, but still!"

"This is going to be dangerous," Rachel protested weakly.

"Because walking into a nest of cazadors, getting randomly attacked by Legion assassins, and nearly getting killed by a vault full of sentient plants is so safe." Veronica rolled her eyes.

The courier laughed a little, growing somber again. "This is too big, though. I can't..." She groaned, wiping tears out of her eyes. She tried to say something else, but couldn't make her mouth work. Rachel shot Veronica a helpless look.

To say Veronica was concerned by the courier's behavior was an understatement, but she was also mildly annoyed. "What's going on?" she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest.

The courier looked on the verge of panicking, but she didn't answer. Before Veronica could question her again, Rachel stepped over and kissed her soundly, her palms cupping Veronica's cheeks gently.

"Stay," she pleaded breathlessly when she tore her lips from the scribe's. "**Please**."

Veronica was too surprised to give much of a response.

Without opening her eyes, Rachel continued, "I know I don't talk about stuff like this a lot, but... God, Veronica, I love you. And if you're there at the battle... If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself." She let out a shaky breath. "I can't..."

Veronica stared as the courier battled tears, completely thrown. Between the words Rachel had said and the desperate kiss that still lingered on her lips, she knew the courier was asking from the bottom of her heart, and the thought sent a chill up her spine. She couldn't remember the last time, if ever, someone had been so honest with her, and it was almost terrifying to see Rachel so vulnerable. "Me?" she squeaked after a moment. "Why?"

Rachel looked confused and opened her eyes. "I love you," she repeated simply, as though the words answered all the questions in the world. Something in her face changed a second later, and she released the scribe. "Sorry, I... sorry."

Veronica caught her wrist before she could turn away, threading her fingers through the courier's. "Don't apologize. But I am a little confused," she admitted softly, trying to grin at the barely-composed courier. "How am I supposed to keep you safe if I'm stuck here? That was our deal back at the 188, remember? Watch each other's backs, sound familiar?"

"Yes Man said he'd give me my own personal squadron of securitrons," Rachel mumbled, her gaze dropping to the hand Veronica was holding. She drew a deep breath, seeming a little calmer. "I don't care about losing one or two of them, and I'll be fine with them following me. But if you were there..." Terror flashed in her eyes at the thought.

Veronica studied Rachel for a moment, blown away by the depth of the emotions on the courier's face. "Does it mean that much to you?"

The courier nodded weakly.

The scribe closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll stay." She opened her eyes again and gave the courier a little smile. "Better?"

Rachel looked shocked with disbelief, but seemed to melt with relief and grabbed the scribe up in a tight hug.

"But if I hear that there was a bunch of punching and I didn't get to be part of it, I'll be mad," Veronica warned playfully, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel gave a teary laugh. "Noted. God, Veronica, that was... I love you."

The scribe smiled into Rachel's neck, her cheeks heating with a blush. She was a little leery of the word 'love' but the meaning behind the words shone through, and that was what mattered. "I'm kinda fond of you, too. I mean... I never thought about it before, and I'm not sure I can say-"

"It's okay," Rachel cut in, a smile evident in her voice. "That was one hell of a bomb to drop on you. I just needed to let you know." She hugged Veronica a little tighter before pausing and pulling away slightly to give the scribe a concerned look. "I... um. Is this okay? I don't want to force anything on you."

Veronica grinned. "Just because I don't know how deep my feelings run doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. "

Rachel didn't look convinced. She released the scribe gently, taking a step back. "I don't want to do something you're not comfortable with. I care about you too much to take advantage of the moment like that."

Veronica didn't know if she was more surprised or flattered, but the look on Rachel's face stopped any response she may have come up with. There was a warm, affectionate smile of the courier's face as she gazed at Veronica, and she reached for the scribe's hand.

"Thank you," Rachel said simply, giving Veronica's hand a gentle squeeze.

The scribe offered her an uncertain smile, yelping and ducking away when Rachel ruffled a hand through her hair.

"I had to do something! Making you speechless is no fun," the courier teased, chuckling a little.

Veronica pouted and tried to maintain an offended look, but Rachel's laughter was infectious. She gave the courier a playful shove, and Rachel gave in almost immediately.

"Don't beat up on me before I go off to war," she joked, and the mood sobered instantly. Rachel offered up a weak grin, cringing to herself. "Sorry. That's... yeah. I think I'm going to get ready for bed." She slipped away into her room, and Veronica followed suit, heading off to her room in the suite and beginning to change.

She admired her reflection for a few more moments before taking off the dress, her mind going back to Rachel's failed joke. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of staying at the Lucky 38 during the biggest battle of her lifetime, but if it would ease the courier's mind, she'd stick it out. Even so, she _did_ care about Rachel, and knowing she wouldn't be able to punch out anyone giving her problems worried the scribe.

Veronica's mind drifted to what might happen at the battle, and a life of horrors in the Mojave brought unsettling ideas to her mind as she hung her dress back up. She pictured the Legion crucifying the courier, and her stomach turned over. Any other potential avenues seemed to lead to Rachel mortally wounded, and Veronica was surprised at how sick with worry the thoughts made her.

She pulled on her pajamas, perching on the edge of her bed thoughtfully. Loving Rachel hadn't ever really occurred to her, and now that she was presented with the opportunity, it certainly seemed appealing. They'd been companions for so long that Veronica couldn't imagine her life without the courier anymore.

A knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts, and the scribe realized she'd been lost for far longer than she'd realized. "Yeah?"

"Are you decent?"

"Let me just put away my custom brahmin bondage gear," Veronica called back, unable to restrain herself.

Rachel laughed and opened the door, walking in and giving Veronica a concerned look. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you."

The scribe waved away Rachel's concern, studying the floor for a few moments.

"I, uh... I came to say goodnight." The courier sounded uncertain. "I figured it'd be best if I left early so I can get there and prepared before the Legion attacks."

Veronica looked up at the courier, their eyes locking. All the gruesome ends she'd pictured for her friend came rushing back and she swallowed. "Are you scared?"

Rachel hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. I know it should all be fine, but things always go wrong, and..." She didn't need to finish the sentence; they were both familiar with how it ended.

After a few moments of silence, Veronica nodded to a spot beside herself on the bed. Rachel moved over and sat beside the scribe quietly, giving her another concerned glance.

"I can, if I don't already," Veronica admitted, her ears warming with a flustered blush. "Love you, I mean. And I don't mean that in some weird sort of way to try and make you feel better. I... care about you." She glanced over at Rachel, not sure what she was able to see on the courier's face and let out an embarrassed huff. "This is hard. I just mean that I don't want to be without you. So don't go getting killed, okay?" She tried to joke, but a bit of her worry crept into her voice.

Rachel grinned and wrapped an arm around the scribe. "I'll see what I can do. I don't think Caesar would stop everything if I said, 'hey, my girlfriend said no killing me, cool?' but I can always give it a shot."

Veronica laughed, snuggling herself into the courier's shoulder.

Rachel sighed, resting her head against Veronica's. "This is probably a really weird question, and I shouldn't even be asking until you know how you feel, but..."

Veronica waited for a few moments before prompting the courier to continue, "But...?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?" The courier's voice was meek. "I just... want to hold you."

Veronica considered teasing Rachel, but the words were too sweet and she couldn't make herself do it. The thought of being cuddled up against Rachel through the night sent a warm, fuzzy sensation up the scribe's spine. "I'd like that."

Rachel gave the scribe a squeeze. "Cool." She got up and finished getting ready for bed, turning out the lights on her way back into Veronica's room.

They ended up awkwardly slipping beneath the covers together, shifting around for a few minutes until they were both comfortable. Cuddled up against Rachel's front, Veronica rested her head on the courier's shoulder and listened to the dull thudding of her heart. The sound was comforting and the scribe was overwhelmingly grateful that, after all that they had been through, the courier's heart was still pumping.

Rachel began running her fingers through Veronica's hair gently, sighing contentedly.

Veronica was quiet for a few minutes, happy to lay there and feel complete and protected. It occurred to her that Rachel had always made her feel that way, even though she'd never allowed herself to consider it before. The new knowledge weighed on her mind for a while, and as she thought about all their travels together, Veronica realized how deep her affection ran. The idea of love had scared her ever since Christine left, but with Rachel holding her, it didn't seem so daunting. After a moment, she lifted her chin. "Hey, Rachel?" she murmured into the darkness.

"Yeah?" Rachel waited for a response for a few moments, turning her head to look in scribe's direction.

Veronica closed the distance between them and pressed a soft kiss to the courier's lips. "I love you, too," she whispered, smiling a little at Rachel's stunned silence. "And no, you didn't pressure me into this. I just realized it."

The courier tried to say a few things, stammering instead. "Are you sure? I mean... That's an awful big thing to just realize."

Veronica hummed thoughtfully, cuddling into the courier's side again. "It's a different word to use than what I was expecting, since Christine... Well, anyway, the more I think about it, the more I realize how I've been feeling all along." She was more than a little embarrassed at the words that were falling from her own lips, and buried her flaming cheeks in the courier's shoulder.

Rachel still seemed flummoxed, and laughed softly. "Doc Mitchell said I was pretty lucky, but this is just amazing." She shifted slightly and wrapped her arms around the scribe. She was quiet for a few moments before murmuring the scribe's name.

Veronica turned her head, bumping noses with the courier. She apologized and tried to lean away, but Rachel caught her lips in another kiss and all thoughts of moving away left her mind.

They broke apart, lingering together for a few moments.

"Thank you," Rachel breathed again, reaching up and cupping the scribe's cheek gently.

They shared a few more innocent kisses before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms, spending one last peaceful night together before war tore through the Mojave.


End file.
